


Lost in its Hide-and-Seek

by ArcherUmi



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Bodyswap, F/M, Foreplay, Porn With Plot, Pseudo-Incest, Spoilers, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:00:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23698129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcherUmi/pseuds/ArcherUmi
Summary: Edelgard and Dimitri can never seem to get along, and their animosity is becoming a headache for Byleth by making every inter-house activity contentious. Sothis has a clever idea to help them see each other's perspective. And perhaps entertain her and Byleth while they're at it.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Edelgard von Hresvelg
Comments: 9
Kudos: 71





	Lost in its Hide-and-Seek

**Author's Note:**

> Major spoilers for Edelgard and Dimitri's backstories, including Byleth supports. Technically there's also a tiny spoiler for background lore information from Dimitri's supports with Hapi up to B and bigger spoilers for a certain thing about him from his supports with Flayn up to A.

The river bubbled and the cool wind rustled the leaves as the sun began to set on the warm spring day, the golden glow of late afternoon washing over the field on the bank of the Airmid. Rarely in her life had Byleth paid much attention to nature, partly because, before Sothis had awoken and they had arrived at the monastery, she had paid little attention to anything outside fighting, and partly because in her work as a mercenary it had never been remarkable to see it. Taking the time to appreciate it now, watching how the leaves shook in the breeze, she had a newfound interest in it.

She had certainly had plenty of time to take it all in with how long Edelgard and Dimitri had been arguing with each other. And they still showed no sign of being able to resolve their impasse, either.

"--It's simply too much of a risk!", Dimitri interrupted. "And even with the snowmelt there's bound to be a usable ford somewhere in the vicinity. The Airmid is quite shallow this far upstream. I don't know why you insist we--".

"And if you insist on holding out for convenience and serendipity on the battlefield you'll never be an effective commander, Dimitri", Edelgard said, interrupting Dimitri in turn. "If we don't take the initiative and ensure things go our way, where will we end up, really? The only chance we have of reaching the goal before dark without abandoning the supply train is to caulk--".

As much as the situation made her more and more annoyed with Seteth for tasking her with an inter-house field exercise, she begrudgingly had to admit that it proved his point that as things stood the houses were utterly incapable of getting along. Which would continue to complicate her job, for as long as that job included instructing the entire student body on top of acting as the homeroom teacher for the Black Eagles.

"--And how do you intend to accomplish that in time? Are you even sure we have the necessary supplies to cover all of the wagons?".

Byleth sighed. At this point it was clear the only way this would be resolved was if she stepped in and made a decision. She didn't much want to go against her own house leader, even less so when she was so adamant on this, and on principle Edelgard had a good point, but taking the effort to caulk the few wagons that had been provided to carry their supplies was perhaps a _bit_ excessive given the circumstances.

"There's a ford marked on the map just downstream from here. Even in current conditions it should be passable", she said, jumping in. "We will proceed there and make the crossing if possible."

She crossed her arms. "I see both of you have learned a valuable lesson about cooperative decision making". Dimitri, who looked to have been about to thank her for intervening and taking his side, paused, shutting his mouth and glancing down apologetically.

"...I'll defer to your expertise then", Edelgard said, mild frustration evident despite her polite tone.

"Please don't get the wrong idea", Byleth added. "You performed well today. Your grasp of tactics is steadily improving, but still try to keep in mind the pointers I gave you. You as well, Dimitri."

"I see. Thank you, Professor."

"Yes, thank you", Dimitri said. "And my sincere apologies for that argument. Every time me and Edelgard attempt to hold a conversation it ends up like this, I'm afraid."

"I've noticed", Byleth replied.

"...Yes, I suppose you would have", he said sheepishly. "In any case, let us move on. We still need to reach the goal area before sunset."

The three of them began walking back to where the rest of the students, along with the wagons in question and the school staff supporting their outing, had been milling about waiting for the professor and the two house leaders – Claude having decided to leave Edelgard and Dimitri to fight over it while he joined the others in watching from the sidelines – to come to their long-awaited decision.

"I should drop this, I know, but I think it's somewhat disingenuous on your part to say it just 'ends up like this', Dimitri", Edelgard fired back as they walked. "I hope you don't mean to say I'm the only one at fault."

"No, I didn't mean that at all. Although I wish you would... Aagh, no, it's nothing. Pay me no mind". They continued walking.

"You wanted to say something?", Byleth said, silently. The whole time she had been watching the house leaders' argument, she could practically feel Sothis looking on, taking her usual impish pleasure in the situation.

"Well, that those two are truly quite disagreeable. But, you could see that with your own eyes plain as day as well, no need for me to tell you that. That said, I think you handled their quarrel well... Though Edelgard did not seem to exactly agree". Byleth glanced over her shoulder to see the girl only she could see leisurely floating along behind her as she walked. "And that boy is not even in your class, correct? Should he really be your responsibility in the first place?".

"It's part of my responsibility to teach all of the students in things where I have expertise. And the classes interact enough at mealtimes and otherwise that it's going to be a problem if they can't get along. And that would end up being my problem."

"Well, I suppose that does leave you in something of a predicament. Hmmm...". Sothis trailed off.

"What's on your mind?".

"You recall I've told you I am unsure of the extent of my powers, do you not? That knowledge is lost, along with the rest of my memories. But now and again a few more of those lost memories do come to me". Sothis smirked.

"Where are you going with this...?".

"Well, I think I may recalled something that could perhaps help with your little conundrum."

"Go on, then."

"As soon as we return to the monastery, I shall switch their bodies. One consciousness in the other's form". Byleth acknowledged Sothis with a wave of her hand as she briefly spoke with one of the students before turning again to her conservation with the... Whatever it is Sothis was. "You think that would help... How?".

"It is easy to not appreciate another's way of thinking if you cannot see their perspective, and what better way would their be to learn someone else's perspective than to experience it for yourself, don't you think?", Sothis replied with a question back to her. "Though I must concede I am also interested in my own entertainment. Ah, but besides that, perhaps I could even make use of such a power to assist you in other ways in the future."

Byleth crossed her arms again. "...It seems like it would betray the trust that's been placed in me to do such a thing to my students. And I fail to see how a power like that would be useful to us."

"But would it not be for their own growth? Oh well, if you're content with cleaning up after their spats, I will leave you be. Who knows, perhaps the fate of Fódlan could even be at stake if they carry such animosity with them as rulers". Byleth paused and considered Sothis' proposition.

"...Hmm."  
______________________________

Dimitri groaned, awaking to the sound of someone vigorously rapping on his door. Once again he had failed to get much sleep last night, tossing and turning until he had finally nodded off hours after he had gone to bed, and as usual he felt the lack of rest weighing on him as he sat up. Had he overslept more than usual? Most mornings Dedue left him alone unless he was still asleep when classes were about to begin.

"Lady Edelgard? Are you awake?".

He rubbed his forehead, wracking his brain to try and place that voice. It took him a moment to figure out it sounded like Edelgard's retainer, although why in the world he would be knocking on his door looking for her was beyond him. He wouldn't have forgotten where his liege's room was.

"...I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken somehow". He was surprised at how his voice sounded, wondering if he had come down with something.

"...Are you feeling well, Lady Edelgard?". Something was definitely feeling off now. Even his hair felt off. He ran his hand through it, finding it quite a bit longer than he remembered, and, after throwing off the covers, glanced down. Despite the loose-fitting nightgown he could tell the body he saw was decidedly feminine. He grabbed his hair again and flipped it over his shoulder where he could see its silver hue.

"...Is this a dream? Or some sort of joke? But how could...?", he muttered to himself. "No, there's no way it could be anything but a dream, is there?".

Dimitri pinched his cheek, finding it produced about the expected level of discomfort, and pulled himself out of bed to walk over to the desk and check the clock, realizing as he glanced at it that classes were starting in less than ten minutes now. The problems just kept adding up, and given he couldn't shake the feeling that this didn't _feel_ like a dream he had little choice but to roll with it, throwing open the dresser to grab a clean uniform off the neatly folded stack of clothes.

He felt his face go hot as he glanced at the equally meticulously folded underwear and realization dawned on him. Even if there was a still a possibility this was a dream it would still just feel... Wrong to him to look at Edelgard's body like that. He sighed, shutting his eyes tight and slipping off the nightgown before starting to get dressed, managing well enough with his eyes closed besides fumbling with the bra clasp behind his back for a few moments.

Still adjusting the uniform, he opened the door.

"Good morning, Lady Edelgard", the retainer – he searched his brain for his name before remembering it was Hubert – said, giving a curt bow, and they began briskly walking down the dorm hallway. "It's not much like you to oversleep like this. If there's anything I can assist with you know you need not hesitate to ask."

"You have my sincere apologies. I suppose I didn't sleep well last night."

Hubert gave him a funny look. "You are certain there is nothing...?". He already felt caught in the lie and tried to think of how to explain it away, settling on letting out a few unconvincing coughs. "Perhaps I have caught something. I'm feeling a bit under the weather this morning". He luckily stopped himself before force of habit took him to the Blue Lions classroom.

Stepping through the door, the chatter in the classroom went quiet. He wondered for a moment whether it was something about Edelgard that had that kind of effect on people, but figured it was just as likely the class had been waiting for their house leader before they could begin. He took a seat as it occured to him that, besides Edelgard, he didn't know a single one of the students in the Black Eagle house.

"Good morning, Edie", he heard a girl next to him say. "Your hair's different today, huh?".

"Oh, umm, I...", he started, feeling suddenly embarrassed. He didn't have the time to do up Edelgard's hair in the intricate way she usually did with braids and ribbons – not that he would have been able to replicate it even if he'd had more time – and had barely brushed it either. "I overslept. I'm sorry, I suppose it must look rather unbecoming."

She chuckled. "No, no, it looks fine. Well, I suppose it _does_ look like you could have used more time to brush it, but there's no need to apologize for it, Edie. Your hair would be beautiful however you wore it. It's such a unique color... I don't know I've ever seen anyone with hair quite like yours."

"Oh, thank you... It wasn't always this color". He realized he'd made a mistake even before the girl raised her eyebrow, and was about to stammer out an excuse when the professor began speaking.

"Building on what we learned on our recent field exercise, today we will be continuing our study of basic tactics. If you'd turn to chapter three...--". If he had been here for the roll call he could have at least gotten the names of Edelgard's fellow students, but no such luck. Scrambling, he rooted through her bookbag, feeling relieved to find she had left the tactics textbook in it, and flipped through to the third chapter.

The morning's classes passed by in a dizzying fashion, still dream-like even though Dimitri was increasingly sure this wasn't a dream, that doubled as a crash course in some of the eccentricities of the Black Eagles, who seemed dysfunctional on a whole different level compared to his own classmates. Among others there was the boy who seemed to sleep through the entire period, for one, and the girl who seemed to cower from everything to a degree that was, likely opposite to her intentions, rather conspicuous, and who panickedly stammered through her answer when the professor called on her.

At last the lunch break mercifully came and he gathered his things, standing up.

"Ah, Edelgard!", someone called out to him as he went to leave. "I just wanted to say that my offer yesterday still stands. Just in case you have changed your mind."

"What offer was that?", he asked. "My apologies, I can't quite recall what it was". He tried to remember if he had overheard the boy's name during class. F- something, F-, F-...

"Our duel, of course. Now, we certainly don't have to make such a high stakes wager, or any at all really. The chance to prove my superiority is a wager enough for me, after all. So, what say you?".

"A duel? Well, I'd be happy to take the opportunity to spar and hone my skills, uh... Ferdinand."

Ferdinand blinked. "Oh... Ok. To tell you the truth I did not think you would accept. You aren't feeling ill, are you? Well, never mind that. How about tomorrow, since it's our free day?".

Dimitri nodded, mentally kicking himself. He knew he should be making more of an effort to act how Edelgard would act, but acting didn't come naturally to him, and beyond that he had barely any idea what she was like around her classmates. "Certainly. In that case, I'll see you at the training grounds tomorrow afternoon."

He began to walk towards the dining hall, and the girl from earlier – Dorothea, her name was – caught up with him. "I'm surprised you decided he was worth your time, Edie. Usually you'd just brush him off. Which tends to be the right way to deal with guys like him, or so I've found."

"It's only a duel, isn't it? I appreciate the chance to test my strength and grow stronger. After all, I need that strength if I am to one day--", yet again he almost slipped up before he caught himself, "--become Emperor of Adrestia."

"I suppose", Dorothea said. "I guess even the Imperial Princess has to show some deference to bothersome nobles like him, huh?", she added ruefully.

Dimitri thought about it. "...He seems like an upstanding person to me."

"...Really, you're feeling alright Edie?". This was going to turn in to a disaster if it went on much longer. "Oh, well, I mean...", he tried to conjure up an explanation. What would Edelgard say, what would Edelgard say? She must not be too fond of Ferdinand at the very least, it seemed. "I think he... Has potential? I think that when I am Emperor he's someone I could put to good use". Thankfully, that almost meaningless answer seemed to satisfy Dorothea, and she didn't press him further as they entered the dining hall.

All morning he'd had a nagging wonder about what, if he was in Edelgard's body, had happened to his own, and the obvious possibility finally occurred to him as he sat down to eat and scanned the room. He had almost expected not to see himself, and at first he didn't as he glanced at the corner he often liked to sit by.

When he looked at the table where Felix, Ingrid, and Sylvain usually gathered though, there he was, and the thought came to his mind that it would make sense, as much as any of this made sense, if he had _switched_ bodies with Edelgard. 

Dimitri was distracted from his thoughts as he took his first bite of gratin. As soon as it touched his tongue, the sharp, rich taste of the cheese hit him, along with the savory taste of the meat and the subtly sweet tartness of Noa fruit. It was a sense he hadn't felt for a very long time, and felt so intense at first he almost spit it out. His next impulse was to savor the taste as long as he could, but soon his hunger from skipping breakfast, his need to taste _more_ and his hope of getting some clarity by talking to Edelgard won out, and he quickly scarfed down his food, watching himself from afar as he ate.

He excused himself from the table upon finishing the meal and walked over to her table.

"Umm, excuse me", he said awkwardly, unable to get over the surrealness of it all. "If it's not too much to ask E-- ...Dimitri, I'd like to speak with you a moment."

Edelgard, or whoever it was now inhabiting his body, put down her silverware, her plate still almost half full. "I see. I had a feeling you might". Ingrid and Sylvain seemed a little surprised to see them talking like this. Edelgard stood up, grabbing his bookbag as she did, and the two of them walked out of the dining hall to the out-of-the-way corner where the hedge met the building, checking to make sure no one was listening in.

"This is a strange question, I know, but--", Dimitri began. "--Who are you?".

"You first", she said. "Though I already have a suspicion."

"...I'm Dimitri. I imagine that's what you suspected, isn't it?".

"It is. And I'm Edelgard. I imagine that's what you suspected as well". Dimitri nodded. "Yes... After I saw you in the dining hall, at least. I wasn't sure what to think at first... How in the world could something like this happen?".

"Your guess is as good as mine", she said, crossing her arms. "Well, now that we've confirmed it, I think it would be best if we set a few rules."

"Yes, I completely agree". That sort of consideration had been nagging at him all morning as well, since he had opened the dresser, and Edelgard characteristically wasted no time getting to it. "We don't have any idea how long this might last so it wouldn't do not to set some guidelines. What did you have in mind?".

"Just as a practical consideration--", she started, raising her hand to her chin, "--it would be an issue for either of us to make any decisions regarding politics or any other matters of that sort while we're like this. No reading each other's journals should go with saying, and I'd also add no... Looking at each other's bodies unnecessarily. Certainly baths are still necessary if this goes on any longer than today but we should be careful about it for... Propriety."

Dimitri felt himself go a little red. "Y-Yes, certainly...". Edelgard looked annoyed. "Did you--".

"--No, no", he cut her off. "I closed my eyes while getting dressed."

"Sorry; I jumped to conclusions", she said. "Well, did you have anything to add?".

"In truth, you covered about everything I had considered. All I would add is that I feel it would be for the best if we told no one else about this. Even our respective retainers. It could cause trouble, and hopefully this will all be back to normal soon enough."

"Hmm...". She thought about it for a second. "That could lead to its own problems, but I understand your concern."

"...You aren't upset?", Dimitri said after a moment.

"About what?", Edelgard asked.

"Oh, just... This situation in general. I would have expected you to be furious."

"What would give you the idea I'm _not_ upset? I'm very upset, but there's precious little I can do it and no one to blame, so it isn't worth my time. Unless you mean to say you're responsible for this."

"Oh, no, I just...", he said, trailing off.

They stood in silence for a few moments, the first few students besides themselves beginning to file out of the dining hall and back to their classrooms. The uncomfortable pause was broken by the school bells chiming for the end of lunch time.

"We'd best get back to class", Edelgard said, turning to go. She looked over her shoulder at Dimitri. "You left my bookbag at your table."

"Oh, uh, yes... I'll be sure to get it before I go."  
______________________________

With afternoon classes over, Dimitri left in a hurry, making his way back to Edelgard's dormroom and flopping down on the bed. Although dinner had brought some relief and with more time than at lunch he was able to properly enjoy the flavors – so much so he thought it might bring him to tears – he was exhausted.

He considered just skipping the baths this night, hoping that in the morning things would go back to normal. When Edelgard told him her rules to observe, she had seemed to imply that they shouldn't bathe tonight in hopes that would be the case. Failing that, he could just figure out what to do in the morning. After agonizing over it for something like half an hour, standing in front of Edelgard's dresser, he decided he would take a bath after all, just taking care to not look at her body and to do nothing untoward with it.

He retrieved a set of clean clothes from the dresser before deciding to hold off. The baths would be crowded at this hour, and it would be less uncomfortable if he waited until late enough at night that he would be alone, or at least mostly alone.

Unable to think of much to do to pass the time besides the continued temptation to peek at her diary, his suspicion it might contain clues to the questions he had sought to answer ever since _that day_ in Duscur only heightened by her admittedly understandable insistence he not read it, he ended up absent-mindedly leafing through some of the history books on her desk until he was satisfied it was late enough. Setting down a particularly dry volume on the early church and grabbing the fresh clothes he had left on the bed, he made his way to the baths, still feeling apprehensive about the situation.

Mercifully he found them as empty as he had expected and, averting his eyes, stripped in the changing room, leaving both sets of clothes next to each other on a shelf and starting to walk to the baths themselves.

The mirror caught him off guard.

In the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the corner of the changing room, Edelgard's nude body was reflected back at him. He froze, a chill running down him, the sight gripping his vision and leaving unable to turn away despite his guilt at looking at her. The scars crisscrossed her abdomen, the longest of them running up the middle of her chest, with others on her arms. They appeared fairly old and the patterns were precise, looking more surgical than like weapon wounds. Even so, he got an unsettled feeling looking at them. What on earth kind of surgery was this, to be so extensive?

He felt like he had seen a ghost. The silver hair that had replaced the brown pigtails she had when they were children, and now this. There was something he was missing, he knew it.

"...What happened to you after you left Fhirdiad, El?". He gingerly touched and traced one of them with his fingertip. Turning around and looking over his shoulder he saw more scars up and down her back. He continued to stare as he turned to face the mirror again, his eyes at first still following the scars before they began to be drawn away by the shameful temptation to look at her bare breasts.

Dimitri looked down at her chest, his hands stopping just short of touching it. They inched closer, reaching her breasts, and he began gently squeezing them and feeling her nipples stiffen as his hands brushed over them. The hot, tingling sensation that started to build in her lap tempted him to touch there as well.

His eyes strayed briefly away and he saw the mirror again, the image now reflected back showing his hands each groping one of Edelgard's breasts. Seeing it, he snapped out of the haze that had came over him and the guilt all came back. If he went any further he might not be able to stop himself before he did something he would really regret. And that he would be uncomfortable if Edelgard were to do with his body, for that matter.

And to be doing it to Edelgard's body, of all people. Even if they had only known each other as friends and not stepsiblings, and he didn't really think of her as his sister, still...

Averting he eyes from the mirror, he moved his hands away, marched to the baths, and quickly filled up a washbasin with hot water, before washing himself and unceremoniously dumping it over his head to rinse.

He stepped in to one of the spacious tubs and closed his eyes, hoping to clear his mind. It had been a hectic, dizzying day, one in which he was certain he had inadvertently embarrassed Edelgard as well as revealing a secret about her to Dorothea. After a few moments he thought he heard voices, and decided it was time he left before anyone came in. He had wanted to avoid it before, and knowing about Edelgard's scars it seemed even more urgent now.

As he climbed out of the pool and went to grab a towel, he saw a girl, the purple-haired one who had struggled to speak while giving an answer to a question on basic tactics in class that morning, step in to the baths. Her face immediately went bright red and she shrieked, chattering incomprehensibly as her hands flew to cover herself and she stumbled back against the wall, falling to her knees and cowering against it.

"...Err, umm, it's quite alright, really", he stammered back, quickly stepping out and grabbing a towel from a shelf to wrap around himself before walking back in to say something to console the girl. She seemed to have calmed down a bit as he reentered, but on seeing him yelped again. "Aaah! I-I'm sorry Lady Edelgard there's usually not many people here this time of day so I went to take a bath I didn't mean to walk in on you so please don't hurt meeee...!".

Dimitri sighed. "I mean it it, it's alright. I mean, I was... Indecent too. I apologize if I troubled you at all. I was just leaving anyway, so I'll leave you be."

"You... Wait just a minute! W-What are you doing? Trying to lure me into a false sense of security?! And why are you talking like that you don't...", her hurried speech slowed down as she thought through something. "Don't sound... Like Lady Edelgard at all."

She gasped. "What have you done with the real Edelgard?! Did you take over her body or something?!". Dimitri stood silently as she glared up at him, terrified, before breaking out laughing.

"...Wait, what's so funny? W-Why are you still acting so weird?". His laughter somehow seemed to take her off guard and break through her fear

"It's just...", he said, stifling his laughter. "Oh, well, it's nothing really. Again, I'm sorry. I'll... Get going then". He went to again step out of the baths. Something was nagging at him though, and he paused, turning to face her again and seeing her flinch a tiny bit his he did

"Did you see my...?". He saw her go bright red again and the panic return to her face. "...I ummmm... They...! I-I wasn't trying to look at your bod--".

"--No, I mean...", he trailed off. "No, forget it. I--".

"Oh, you mean... The scars...?". That was what he was afraid of. "It's, umm... Well... I understand. I mean... I have some too. Not like you bu-- I mean... Oooh...! I'm sorry, I--".

He shook his head. "No, it's all alright. I just wasn't sure if you saw."

"...You mean it?". She stood up. "I... If it's something you don't want anyone to know about, I promise I won't tell a soul Lady Edelgard."

He nodded, thanking her and walking away to dry off and get dressed in the changing room.

Returning to Edelgard's room, his thoughts again turned to her diary. Everything that had happened today had made him more anxious to learn what secrets might be hidden in it. Closing and locking the door, he sat down at her desk, looking through the drawers until he found what appeared to be Edelgard's diary, and set it down in front of him, just staring at it for a while.

"...What am I doing?", he muttered to himself, placing it carefully back in the drawer it had come from, unopened and unread. He had already bent the rules more than enough for one day. Standing up and crossing the room without bothering to change into her nightgown, he lay down in Edelgard's bed and, exhausted, fell asleep more quickly than he had in some time.  
______________________________

If there was still any question in Edelgard's mind that this wasn't a dream, it was dispelled when, for the second morning, she woke up to find herself inhabiting Dimitri's body.

Yesterday had been a strange, exhausting one, even before her conversation with Dimitri, though she couldn't think of any ways one could wake up in someone else's body without it being strange, so that it was strange could really have gone without saying. Early on she had considered the possibility that they could have switched places, and talking to Dimitri had at least confirmed that for her.

Strange as it was though, it had ended up being fairly uneventful. Just as she usually did, she tried to occupy herself with her studies, and although she wished Dedue would give her more space the dynamic he seemed to have with Dimitri wasn't entirely unfamiliar to her. About the most eventful thing that happened was one of Dimitri's friends, Sylvain, inviting her to come to lunch with him, Felix, and Ingrid on their free day today, which had she accepted, if only to keep up appearances. 

Well, that and her breakfast. 

Just to start off, she had broken her plate as she went to get her meal. How Dimitri lived with this crest day to day was beyond her. The second, even more disconcerting thing had been the taste. Though the taste of the food was still faintly there, it was dulled and many of the individual flavors had become indistinct and muddled on her tongue. She had considered whether it might be a sign she was dreaming, but it was clear now that couldn't be the case. Was it a consequence of having switched bodies? Or was it, like his crest, just a part of who Dimitri was somehow? 

And still, on top of that, she felt somewhat lost and apprehensive – even more so than usual – dealing with Dimitri's classmates.

She felt something uncomfortable between her legs and shifted in bed. The awkward feeling didn't go away with the change in position, and after a moment she threw off the covers and sat up. For whatever reason it hadn't gotten in the way too much yesterday, in the morning or otherwise, but today it was making itself apparent. She figured it would go away eventually even if she didn't take care of it, but she had to admit it was a tempting thought. Just out of intellectual curiosity.

It was still early, and having skipped a bath last night in hopes yesterday was, if not an extremely vivid dream, something that would quickly sort itself out as mysteriously as it happened, she decided to take one today before breakfast, changing in to her clothes from last night after getting a clean change from the dresser and heading to the baths. By the time she arrived, thankfully, her erection had subsided.

As Edelgard stripped and washed herself it was hard both to not glance down at the body she was stuck in for now, and for her mind to not wander thinking about it. If nothing else, physically Dimitri was tall and, she had to admit, conventionally attractive, and even as someone who didn't waste her time obsessing over how others saw her it made her more cognizant of her own stunted, scarred body. Even if Dimitri had a few scars himself, they were nothing like the marks she bore.

She finished up as quickly as she could, making sure not to linger too long or enjoy herself as she washed, and made her way to the dining hall to grab breakfast, running in to Dedue as she got there.

"Good morning, Your Highness", he said, following her through the doors. "You're up early this morning. How did you sleep?".

"I suppose. And I slept fine", she answered him, gingerly grabbing a pastry and a plate before sitting down. As she bit in to it, it was just as bland as yesterday, the sweet flavor of the crust and fruit filling dulled almost unrecognizably. "And you?".

"Do not trouble yourself with me, Your Highness; I am fine. More importantly... Be sure to get your rest". Dedue sat down with his own breakfast and they ate quietly together.

"What are your plans for today?", he asked upon finishing his meal. "Is there anything you need me to attend to?".

"No, I should be fine. I'll probably do some reading in the library and then have lunch in town. You should occupy yourself as you see fit."

"Understood. If you need me later I will probably be in the greenhouse, then". Edelgard finished her pastry and stood up, grabbing the plate very carefully this time. "Hmm. Perhaps I'll come by there later and tend to the plants myself."

"It's not often you've shown an interest in plants. If you wish to learn more, allow me to share what I know, Your Highness. As long as you do not attempt to eat any weeds again."

"...What?".

"...Forgive me Your Highness, I should not have said such a thing. I apologize."

"No, I just... Well, it's nothing". She left her plate on the dining hall counter. "I suppose I'll see you later then, Dedue."

"Yes". He nodded as she left and headed to the library, enjoying the crisp spring air as she walked down the courtyard by the classrooms.

On such a nice day, the library wasn't very crowded, and she was able to spend the morning reading in somewhat lonely peace. The question of what Dimitri was doing with her body right now, however, continued to nag at her. It seemed inevitable he would end up making a mess of something or other, and rules or not she was certain eventually he would be tempted to do something inappropriate, although the thought of him seeing her scars – something she realized was inevitable – honestly concerned her even more than the thought of him ogling or touching her body in general.

It had probably been about three or four hours by the time she made a mental note of what page she was on and laid down the book she was reading, a history of eastern Fódlan during the early Imperial period, figuring it was getting close to lunchtime, and stood up, stretching and then leaving the library to find Sylvain. She figured he or one of Dimitri's other friends were probably already looking for her given it was now past noon.

As she stepped out of the building and walked by the courtyard towards the dorms, she noticed the activity at the gates to the training grounds, where a small group of people had gathered. There were occasionally tournaments held there, but she didn't remember seeing this sort of commotion before. As she passed by, her curiosity got the better of her and she stopped.

"There's quite a crowd here this afternoon", she said, addressing one of the students milling about. "You don't happen to know what's going on, do you?".

"Oh, I heard that Lady Edelgard accepted a duel", he said. Oh, this couldn't be good. "With... Oh, what's his name. You're in the Blue Lions, right?--", Edelgard nodded as he went on. "--Well I don't know if this means anything to you, but I think he's the Prime Minister's son."

Oh no, anything but indulging _him_. Really, she thought that not embarrassing her while he was occupying her body would have gone without saying and that she didn't have to specifically make it it's own rule, but clearly she had overestimated Dimitri's grasp of common sense. She felt her anger building and tried to calm herself down. He probably had no way of knowing about Ferdinand, and no matter how much she might want to march in and fix this, she couldn't without making things complicated. All she could really hope for was for Dimitri to at least not lose to him, and that thankfully seemed like a decent bet. While she was still silently grumbling over Dimitri's unfortunate decision, she heard Ingrid call out to her.

"There you are! I've been looking for you", she said. "Were you still coming for lunch?".

"...Yes, of course", Edelgard replied, and the two of them began walking.

"I'm glad you could make it today, Your Highness", Ingrid said as they passed the fishing pond. "It had been months since any of us had seen you when we met again at the monastery, but you still seem distant sometimes... Felix still won't talk to you, will he? He didn't even want to wait for you before we went in to town."

It was hard to know what to say to that. Just giving a vague answer might not cut it with someone who was an old friend of Dimitri's.

"I see. It is a shame". If there was anything she envied about Dimitri, it was how he still had friends around him who he could rely on and open up to, but perhaps his situation was more complicated than she had realized. Of course, the thought that he could have that and not realize how fortunate he was for it might only add to her dislike of him. Reaching the market, the two of them found Felix and Sylvain at the monastery's gate.

"Hey", Sylvain greeted them. Felix, in turn looked away.

"Hmph."

"Felix...", Ingrid said. She sighed. "Well... I suppose getting all four of us together is better than nothing."

"I guess you're probably gonna tell me not to screw it up or, something, huh?", Sylvain said as they began walking down the hill towards town, cracking a grin. "Well, I suppose I'll try not to get _too_ flirty". Ingrid rolled her eyes and let out another sigh.

"Not sure why the two of you were so insistent on going into town to eat. The dining hall is good enough for me. Let alone why you wanted to invite _him_ ", Felix said. Edelgard considered whether she should defend herself... Or Dimitri, rather. But given she didn't even knew the first thing about Felix's grievance with him, what would she even say?

"Come on, it's a change of pace, change of scenery", Sylvain said. "And besides, if anyone has to lighten up, it's you first and His Highness second."

"Oh, and let me guess", Ingrid shot back. "I'm third?".

"I was going to say fourth, but sure, if you want", Sylvain answered with another grin. Hearing them talk like the old friends they were made Edelgard feel like even more of an outsider in this body.

She hung back behind them and stayed quiet as they entered the main market square and Ingrid and Sylvain discussed the restaurant they'd made plans to visit, evidently one well known for its innovative renditions of Faerghus cuisine. Hopefully the 'innovative' part was as advertised. So many memories of her short time in Fhirdiad eluded her – perhaps because of how young she was – but her memory of the food was one that had stuck, and not in a positive way. Although right now that might not matter very much.

The restaurant was quieter than she would have expected for a Sunday afternoon, and they were quickly shown to their table. Sylvain and Ingrid continued talking about the menu as they looked it over while her and Felix silently read theirs, Edelgard quickly deciding on a dish of Teutates pike on a bed of greens – true to the advertising not a preparation she would expect in Faerghus – and setting her menu down.

"Hey, when _was_ the last time the four of us got together like this?", Sylvain asked. "We've barely done this at all ever since--", he cut his sentence short as Felix and Ingrid's expressions noticeably darkened. "--...Yeah."

She stopped herself from asking. Whatever event this was about it would clearly be inappropriate to, even besides the fact it was likely something Dimitri should know as well. It took her a few moments to recall the likely answer to her question. Dimitri had obviously lost his father in the Tragedy of Duscur, and knowing Felix and Ingrid came from noble families as well it stood to reason they also must have lost family that day.

The awkward silence was finally interrupted by the waitress returning with glasses of water and asking for their orders.

"So... What have you been up to, Your Highness?", Ingrid asked, attempting to break the ice fully as the waitress left.

"Hmm. I've mainly been focused on my studies and training", Edelgard said. "How about you, Ingrid?".

"Oh, I suppose I'm not much different", she replied. "Although I've been spending a lot of time trying out the different restaurants and food vendors here when I have time. I didn't expect just how much variety there would be around the Monastery. It's probably more than in Fhirdiad."

"People here sure can cook", Sylvain said. "I never realized just how bad the food is in Faerghus until I came here. Anyway--", he jumped to a different topic. "--So what was the deal with you and Edelgard the other day? Ever since we came to the Monastery you and her have been at each other's throats... Hey, don't tell me she's in to you or something? Or are you in to her?".

"No, it's nothing like that", Edelgard said. "She only had a question for me about relations between the houses. And besides that, she's...". She trailed off, thinking about how to word it. There would be certain issues were the two of them to get together, for one. And beyond that, she had a hard time seeing what would attract Dimitri to her.

"Oh, I get it", he said, the stupid grin that seemed almost constant for him back on his face again. "I mean, she's not _that_ bad, but I just like tall, busty girls better too, you know?". She had to admit, begrudgingly, that hearing that stung just a little. Although she found it funny in a way; she had no idea what Dimitri's preferences were, but as for her own tastes in women, well...

"Really, Sylvain? That's the first place your mind goes?", Ingrid asked. "I can only assume he had something less frivolous in mind. The King of Faerghus and the Princess of Adrestia together could get, well, awkward."

"That's exactly the point I had in mind, yes", Edelgard said. "Thank you, Ingrid."

"Come on, guys, I was joking... Well, mostly joking", Sylvain replied. Felix rolled his eyes and snorted in disgust. "Save your breath, Sylvain."

"Sheesh, I can't catch a break from either of you". He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. "Ah, whatever. You know Your Highness, I still think it would do you good to loosen up a little. I mean, maybe not as a loose as me, sure, but you should try and enjoy yourself a little, you know? Maybe not with Edelgard, but maybe even put yourself out there romantically."

Not that she expected this to last long enough for that, but it was a tempting proposition. After her years of torment and her decision to walk this bloody path she had set out on, romance was one of the many things she had accepted forgoing. Even if that weren't the case, she likely wouldn't have much luck trying to flirt with women hoping that, by chance, they would be interested in another woman, and there were few men who caught her own interest. That was with her body though, not Dimitri's. But on the other hand, it wouldn't be right to use his body like that, even just for a quick fling or something of the sort. Even if he had been using hers to blatantly embarrass her too.

"I mean, I'm just saying", Sylvain added, cutting Ingrid off before she tried to say something. "Just don't give a girl a dagger again and you'll be fine". There was something familiar about that. Well, no matter.

"Perhaps I'll take that under consideration."

"Well, as long as you don't take _too_ much advice from Sylvain", Ingrid said, taking a sip of her glass of water.

"That's... Yeah, fine, that's fair", Sylvain said. "Hey, speaking of that, you could always try it too you know Ingrid. Some guys like a woman who's more forward, and I bet you could do better than some of the scumbags your father has tried to set you up with."

"I...--", Ingrid blushed. "--No, I don't think I could do that. I'm much too busy training and studying anyway."

"Eh, suit yourself". Sylvain turned back to Edelgard. "If you do want that _little bit_ of advice I'm allowed to give you, just ask me, Your Highness."

"Tips from you of all people isn't going to make a wild boar attractive", Felix said. Sylvain sighed and shook his head. "Felix, why are you even here if this is all you're going to do?"

"I seem to recall you and Ingrid inviting me", he replied. "Hopefully our food gets here soon". Edelgard's curiosity about Dimitri and Felix's relationship, and whatever had caused it to become what it seemed to be now, was only increasing each time Felix opened his mouth.

"Speaking of", Sylvain said to Edelgard. "Our waitress is pretty good looking, don't you think?". He gestured to another table. She was standing there, preparing it for another party it seemed. She looked rather plain with her brown hair in a simple cut, but she was certainly cute, she had to admit.

"A little flirting never hurt anyone, you know?". He winked at Edelgard. Finished with the table, the waitress hurried to the kitchen window and retrieved a tray with four plates. Another quick glance around the restaurant showed they were the only group in the building who didn't have their food already.

She addressed Sylvain first before heading clockwise around the table, first to Ingrid and next to Edelgard. "Teutates pike?".

The sort of stupid whim she would usually suppress came to her. She turned to look at the waitress, making eye contact with her, and as she did her mind went blank except for the voices screaming at her, about the usual things like the possibility of rejection as well as about the ethics of doing this in someone else's body. She couldn't think of a single thing to say.

"Beautiful--", she started, immediately regretting how she'd let words escape her mouth. "--...It's a beautiful fish. And it was my order. Yes."

Edelgard saw Sylvain wince as the waitress set her plate down, completely unfazed. She must see her fair share of men trying to hit on her in her line of work, surely including at least a few who were that bad at it. The waitress handed Felix his plate of ribs, flatly wished them an enjoyable meal, and left to attend to other business.

"...Alright, maybe you shouldn't jump right in like that", Sylvain said. Edelgard looked down at her plate, hiding her embarrassed face, and dug in to her almost flavorless plate of fish and nordsalat.

The rest of the meal, and indeed the rest of her afternoon, proved less eventful after that. Upon getting back to the monastery, she set about looking for Dimitri, hoping to get an answer as to how his duel with Ferdinand had gone and perhaps talk to him about not embarrassing her further, but had no luck finding him in any of the places she would have expected like the training grounds, library, or knight's hall. She could check the dormitories, of course, but she had to consider how it would look for her to visit his room. Or rather for him to visit hers, she had to remind herself.

It was while she was going to check the the Black Eagles classroom and weighing whether or not to check her room after all that she ran into Ingrid again.

"Oh, Your Highness. I was just going to do some training before dinner if you'd like to join me."

It didn't seem very likely Dimitri would be hanging around her house's classroom on a Sunday anyway.

"Hmm, alright. I appreciate the offer."

Ingrid shook her head. "No, the pleasure is all mine, Your Highness."

They walked the short distance to the training grounds, finding them fairly quiet as well this evening, the sun beginning to set and casting shadows on the ground and shades of gold on the walls. Ingrid stopped by the door to the storage room and looked back over her shoulder. "Would you rather lances or swords?".

"Swords today", Edelgard replied. She knew lances were Dimitri's weapon of choice, but given her lack of expertise with them it would be better to stick with something she did know seeing as Ingrid was giving her the option. Ingrid stepped inside and returned with two wooden swords, handing one to Edelgard, walking out on to the floor, and taking her stance. Edelgard followed suit.

"Have at you", Ingrid called out, stepping forward and raising her blade to strike. Edelgard quickly parried and they began to trade blows. She hadn't known what to expect from Ingrid but she proved an impressive opponent even with Edelgard enjoying the advantage of having the force of Dimitri's crest, and it was a struggle to finally disarm her. She lowered her sword and Ingrid picked hers back up. "Another go, Your Highness?".

Edelgard nodded. "We should have time for a few rounds."

They probably spent the better part of an hour sparring. After Edelgard disarmed her one last time, Ingrid wiped sweat off her brow with the hem of her sleeve, panting, and picked up her sword. In the end Edelgard had prevailed in every one of their bouts, but all of them had been close fought and Ingrid had very nearly gotten the upper hand in one or two. "I think I'm done for today. Thank you, Your Highness. I could barely get a blow in edgewise."

"Not at all, you almost had me. You're really quite skilled. I'm impressed."

Ingrid gave a quick bow. "Thank you, Your Highness. Although I wish you'd save the praise for when it is more warranted". She rested against one of the pillars of the courtyard. "...You know, you fought differently today. I could feel it a little."

"How so?".

"Well...", she started. "You were less reckless, more guarded. I had a harder time reading you than usual". She glanced up the sky, shielding her eyes. "You were never really the same after Duscur... None of us were, but you took it especially hard. Well, you were the only one who was there, of course, so... Forgive me for saying that, Your Highness."

"There's no need, I'm fine", Edelgard said. "You can go on."

"Alright. It's hard to say, comparing to a time when we were just children sparring with sticks, but... I think it felt more like it did back then. Or... Hmm...". She paused, deep in thought. "Remember that girl you used to know for a little while when we were kids? I don't remember her name."

"Yes, a little", Edelgard bluffed. "It's been a long time though. I can't remember either, if I'm being honest."

"Really?", Ingrid asked, surprised. "You two were inseparable whenever you got the chance to see each other. Anyway, I remember one of the few times I met her I watched you and her spar. I almost sense... An echo of her style in how you were fighting today. I suppose you must have picked it up from her back then. Or maybe I'm going crazy, it was so long ago and there was only that one time, so I might be getting mixed up. Ah, I'll put the weapons away". Ingrid held out a hand and Edelgard gave her sword to her.

"Regardless, I'm glad that life at the monastery seems to be doing you good, Your Highness", she said. "Let's go get some dinner. I've worked up quite an appetite from all that, how about you?".  
______________________________

The one thing in her new job that her work as a mercenary had least prepared Byleth for was paperwork. Jeralt had always handled all of the administration for the mercenary company, and even then formal paperwork had been fairly scarce. Now though, she was swamped with it every day. Today was technically a free day but even now she found herself in her office, trying to sort out the basics of the lesson plans for next week's classes. The one upside was that having to write daily had already had a positive impact on her once awful handwriting.

Sothis watched over her shoulder as she went through a stack of reference books and scrawled down notes. At this point she was used to the girl's presence; she often barely noticed it was there and she no longer got startled when she spoke to her.

"Working hard I see", she said, sitting down on the only free patch of desk space she had left. "And on such a lovely evening too. Is today not supposed to be one of rest?".

"I wish", Byleth said. "But I'm behind on lesson plans, so no."

"You really must learn to be more organized. Well, no matter. I believe in your ability to learn it in time."

"Damning with faint praise. I appreciate it."

"My, look who has become so literate". Sothis stretched her arms and kicked her legs back. It was distracting but at least she didn't get in the way, being incorporeal as she was. "Say, I noticed you were keeping quite a close eye on Edelgard today."

"I always keep an eye out for my students, her especially given she's as important to running the class as I am."

"Yes, but you are aware that the one you were following is not truly Edelgard, are you not? And besides that, you were following him quite closely indeed."

"I went along with your strange idea, so the least I can do is make sure he doesn't get her in trouble while he's acting as her", Byleth said, setting aside one textbook and opening another.

"Fair enough", Sothis said. "You were rather conspicuous though. You know, I could easily help you with that."

"How so?".

"My senses are linked to yours, but not completely. I can move around myself, as you can see, within limits, and I can see and hear for myself. There isn't a need to get so close when I can go ahead for you". Sothis yawned. "...Those two really have been getting up to some interesting things. While we were at the training grounds I happened to see Edelgard's face when she learned Dimitri had challenged Ferdinand to a duel for her. It was truly priceless. Perhaps tomorrow we should follow her and see more of what she's been getting up to?".

"I'll think about it."  
______________________________

Edelgard closed and locked the door to Dimitri's dorm room, sat down at his desk, and lit the candle on it with a match. Like yesterday, she reached for her familiar diary to jot down her recollections of the day before remembering where she was, just like yesterday finding nothing in the drawer where, in her desk, she kept it. Fortunately today she had thought to purchase a thin journal in the market to allow her to continue writing.

She took it from her pocket, retrieved pen and ink, and opened it front of her, but hesitated. In her main journal she was always cognizant of the possibility of it being found as she wrote, although she kept a hidden journal as well for other purposes, and writing about her experiences right now posed additional questions. What would happen to the book if her and Dimitri were to suddenly switch back, for one, along with the question of what a third party would make of it if they happened to get their hands on it.

Her best option besides simply not writing would be to hide it somewhere fairly inconspicuous where she could easily retrieve it later, but that was more easily said than done as well. For now, she decided to write and find a solution to here problem tomorrow. It had already been two days of this, and she no longer expected it to reverse itself so quickly.

As she scrawled down her thoughts Edelgard kept thinking about what Ingrid had said and how Felix had acted, her mind straying again to the subject of Dimitri's diaries. Despite the rules she had laid out she had admittedly been tempted to read them already, and today's events had only made her curiosity stronger. Finishing the entry, she closed the book and put it away in the empty drawer.

Rifling around in the desk she quickly found what appeared to be his journal. She certainly didn't trust Dimitri, but she had to wonder if his earnestness would stop him from reading hers. Well, even if he did the worst thing he would find was...

Oh. Right. Her doodles. She shook her head. "Ugh...".

Making up her mind, she opened the journal and started flipping through it, reading intently.

The paranoia that occasionally bubbled to the surface in the entries and the accounts of loneliness and sleepless nights struck her, contrasting with the earnest and naive Prince surrounded by friends she had seen in public and giving context to the things Ingrid had said to her earlier that evening. She felt a familiar chill as she read him describe hearing voices of the dead, like his father, and was left wondering how literally he meant it. 

One other passage caught her attention, and she read it carefully. The entry was dated shortly before he would have arrived at the monastery, and the paragraph cut off abruptly, as if he had been unwilling to finish putting the thought into words.

> _I have always been convinced that there must be something to the Tragedy of Duscur that everyone has yet missed. In particular, I fear that the Empire must have had a hand in it. Lord Arundel was appointed regent of Adrestia as soon as he returned to Enbarr, and then his sister – my stepmother – was killed, and Edelgard somehow became the Crown Princess... I am convinced there must be a connection to Arundel. I do not believe it – I cannot bring myself to, but one of my darkest fears is that Edelgard herself may have_
> 
> _No. It is impossible._

There was no question now about whether or not Dimitri would read her diaries, at least. Indeed he might start to suspect even worse and search her room more thoroughly, possibly coming across her secret journal.

He had accidentally hit upon her uncle's misdeeds, it seemed. But the oddest part was how familiarly he wrote of her, in this entry and others. Reading it gave her a frustrating, nagging feeling of not quite being able to remember something, like a word stuck on the tip of her tongue.

It was surprisingly late by the time she had finished reading and put the diary away again, and any sense of guilty, voyeuristic pleasure had been replaced by exhaustion and melancholy. She knew about the Tragedy of Duscur, of course, but it was something else entirely to see someone's pain laid bare like this, even if she still found it somewhat hard to sympathize with how he wallowed in self-pity and fixated on the past.

Perhaps she was being too harsh in that assessment. Even after reading this, she couldn't pretend to know exactly how he felt or how he dealt with such deep grief.

Edelgard yawned and stood up, stretching her arms. She quickly stripped off her school uniform and settled into bed for the night.  
______________________________

For the second night in a row, Dimitri found himself staring at Edelgard's diary, sitting closed on her desk in front of him.

He'd realized there was more than just guilt keeping him from reading it. He didn't want to believe that Volkhard had a hand in the death of his sister and brother-in-law, let alone that Edelgard might have had something to do with the death of her own mother, and the possibility of finding evidence of that in this book was terrifying to him. He left it closed and thought back to what had happened today.

It had been, at the very least, smoother than yesterday, though he still longed to be back in his own body. The only major event had been the duel he had agreed to with Ferdinand, who it seemed fancied himself Edelgard's rival and who most of the other Black Eagles students, Edelgard herself included, seemed to have no shortage of dislike for. Edelgard was not by any stretch of the imagination weak, but even so their bout had been closer than he was comfortable with and had shown him just how much he relied on his crest in battle.

He had also managed to learn a little more about the other students in the house. The meek, purple-haired girl for instance was named Bernadetta, and Dorothea, who seemed to be the closest thing Edelgard had to a friend, it turned out had been, of all things, a rising opera star in Enbarr before coming to Garreg Mach.

Besides that, he had done little but study and train. And think about yesterday.

The compulsion to read Edelgard's diary wasn't going to go away, and neither were the voices telling him to, whether he wanted them to or not. Even if he was afraid of what he might find, this might be the best opportunity he'd had to find real answers in a long time. Finally working up the courage, he opened the diary and began to read.

Edelgard's writing was, like her, straightforward and matter-of-fact. The entries started only a few months before she had come to the monastery and for the most part simply recorded each day's events and notes on her studies, with frustratingly little commentary or reflection. Only a few passages – along with her sketches of her professors and fellow students, which he found quite cute – gave him an idea of how she felt about anything.

The entries written around the time they had come across Jeralt's mercenary company when the bandits had attacked them were among the few enlightening ones, both for what they said and what they did not. She put great importance on how Professor Eisner had protected her from the ringleader's axe, and there was something about how she phrased her thoughts that gave him a sense that she had not seen many people protect her in her life. He glanced down at her chest and thought about the scars underneath the uniform he wore.

It saddened him to see that she barely mentioned him in her writing, even in the entry from the day they had crossed paths on the road to Garreg Mach as they traveled to enter the academy, and that when she did it was mainly as a nuisance. There was no acknowledgement of the year and a half they had spent together in Fhirdiad. Somehow it didn't surprise him as much as he might have thought it would. But could she really have forgotten?

There was one more line in one of those entries that caught his eye. It was the only time he found mention of the Tragedy.

> _After seeing Dimitri today, it occurred to me that a few weeks from now it will have been four years since my mother's death. It is a dear wish of mine that I could have met her as an adult, but there is no way to change such things. Another reason to keep moving forward._

He felt a sense of detachment throughout everything she wrote. This in particular was one of the more emotional passages, but even it felt somewhat cold and distant, even knowing she had been too young to know Patricia – or, rather, she would have known her as Anselma – very well before she came to Faerghus.

But the words of someone involved in killing her own mother they were not, and that relieved him, even if that possibility had only been a tiny, nagging fear that he had never believed in to begin with, and even if the diary as a whole left him frustrated and with no more answers about what had happened in Duscur. Or what had happened to Edelgard. He slammed his fist on the desk in frustration and winced at the pain. He had expected to leave a dent in the wooden desktop, forgetting for a moment the absence of his Crest of Blaiddyd.

Dimitri let out a yawn and stood up. It was getting late and it was clear he wasn't going to get anywhere with this. The only way he could get answers would be to talk to Edelgard herself, which was probably something impossible. It had been too long since their time together to remake that relationship. Too much had happened. And what would she even think of what he had become?

He averted his eyes and undressed, not bothering to put on a nightgown before he slipped into bed. It was a warm enough night, perhaps unseasonably so, and he felt exhausted after reading the diary.

Last night he had slept somewhat well, but tonight he had no such luck, tossing and turning for hours alone with his thoughts and the voices whispering in his ear – or perhaps they were one and the same after all.

At long last he drifted off, only to awake again with a start, and he lay there, half asleep, in Edelgard's bed. His headache still hadn't gone away and he felt a heat between his legs. He shifted around awkwardly, finding it only seemed to grow as his legs brushed together. Somehow though he felt a need to keep going.

Just rubbing his legs together didn't satisfy it, so he began to grope around with his hand, rubbing his lap through the panties he had on, stroking up and down and feeling it grow even more. After maybe a few minutes, he slipped the panties down around his knees, shivering as he began to touch and massage Edelgard's slit directly. The shivers got stronger when the palm of his hand brushed against something stiff, and he started to clumsily roll his hand over it.

His breathing grew heavy and his mind wandered, imagining Edelgard – both of them in their own bodies – standing behind him, touching him through his underwear before her hand slipped under it, rubbing his cock, whispering something he couldn't make out in his ear. His panting sped up as his hand did, and the image in his mind went blank as he came and the feeling of release he had been building to filled it and his body instead.

His fingertips felt wet, but other than that the mess seemed small compared to what would have resulted had this been his own body, and with how tired he felt he was content to just go back to his attempt at falling asleep, only slipping off his panties entirely after feeling them constraining his legs. He felt drowsiness coming in earnest now after his orgasm, along with a feeling of clarity. He made up his mind to talk to Edelgard tomorrow, and he drifted off to sleep before the guilt set in.  
______________________________

Dimitri stood in the foyer of the Goddess Tower, waiting. He had already been here about twenty minutes, and Edelgard was nowhere to be seen.

He wondered if Dedue had dissuaded her from coming after relaying his message to her. No doubt he would have had misgivings about him meeting Edelgard late at night, especially with how he had been very clear that they meet alone. Likely he would have offered to come along as well, and been quite insistent about it.

He started thinking about leaving. Perhaps he would try again tomorrow. He wasn't even sure yet what he wanted to say to her, and he kept thinking back guiltily to last night. Right on cue, he heard footsteps, then a door swing open. Edelgard stepped inside and closed it behind her.

"There you are", he said. "I was starting to worry you wouldn't show up."

"I almost didn't", she said. "Calling me out to the Goddess Tower, of all places... What did you need to speak to me about?".

His face went a little red. The legend was mainly about the night of the academy ball, but even so there were definitely romantic associations with this place. "No, no, no", he said, getting flustered. "I didn't mean anything like that by it. I just thought, at this time of night on a school day, we probably wouldn't be interrupted here."

"Hmm. Probably not", she said. "Well, here I am."

"Yes, umm...", Dimitri said. "Well...". He tried to think of what to say pausing awkwardly to consider his words. Edelgard frowned.

"I don't suppose you came here to tell me you haven't been following the rules we agree on, did you?".

As usual she wasted no time getting to the point. "...I confess, I've broken them a few times."

"You read my diary, I assume?", she asked.

"...Yes. Last night". Oddly she didn't seem as angry about it as he would have expected. "You aren't upset?".

She shook her head and put her hand to her forehead. "Again, you assume I'm not upset with this situation for some incomprehensible reason. I'm not happy at all, but I expected as much of you and there's nothing I can do about it now that it's done. At the very least just forget you saw my...". She trailed off.

"Your what? Oh, do you mean the sketches? Actually, I rather liked th--".

"Shut up! I won't hesitate to make you regret speaking of it at all otherwise."

It was jarring to see her crack and get flustered like that. Even when they were children, she was usually unflappable. She groaned. "Well, I suppose I can't complain too much. I admit, I read yours as well."

HIs heart sank. He should have expected Edelgard would have read it; she always seemed to be carefully evaluating people and analyzing what they said to her, so it stood to reason she would have been interested in his diary.

"So... You saw...". She nodded. "Yes. I noticed the way you wrote of me was... Rather familiarly. But, you really think I might have been involved in killing my own mother?", she asked, her tone icy and barely concealing her anger. "When I just a young girl, no less. I suppose sometimes I may appear cold, but is that really how you think of me?".

"If it's any consolation, after reading your diary, any such thoughts I had have been thoroughly dispelled", he answered. "...It was always just a nagging voice in my head that wondered about you and Lord Arundel, I suppose."

"I saw you mentioned hearing voices", Edelgard said. "So you meant that literally?".

"It is hard to say what is real or not when it's in your head like that, but yes... Father, stepmother, Glenn... Ever since that day, I've heard their voices often. Crying out with regrets."

"I...". She sighed. "I can't pretend to know exactly how you feel. Every loss is unique and I don't know if anything I say could be of help to you. But to see such an intimate picture of someone's pain... Anyone would feel for them, me included."

"Should I take that as a condolence?", he asked. He surprised himself with the venom in his tone.

"Yes", she answered. "I apologize if I sounded callous... It wasn't my intention. Well, is that all you came to say?".

"Oh...", he said. "Well... There was also... Forgive me, but while bathing I couldn't help but notice, umm...". He saw her expression change, looking more distant and sad. It was clear she already knew exactly what he was having trouble saying.

"My scars."

"...Yes."

"I expected as much", she said with a sigh. "You weren't going to avoid seeing them forever, even just by chance."

"Sorry... If it means anything for me to say, you would be beautiful with or without them". Half way through that sentence he had already realized that was going to be the wrong thing to say.

"What?", she asked, a bit of a blush on her cheeks. She seemed to be getting flustered again. "What does that have to do with anything?! It sounds to me like you were looking at more than just the scars."

"I, umm, well...", he felt his face get hot.

"What else did you do? Did you--".

"--Not then, no!", he blurted out, mentally cursing himself for it.

"What do you mean 'not then'?". He didn't say anything to defend himself. "You masturbated with my body some other time?".

"I was half asleep, I don't know what came over me!", he protested, blushing furiously. "Besides, you're saying you weren't tempted at all to see how it would be either?".

"Being tempted isn't nearly the same thing as doing it!", she shouted. "And while I'm here, I heard about your duel with Ferdinand. Care to tell me how that turned out? Really, I can't handle this for much longer. I'm going to bed."

DImitri sighed. Just like every conversation he and Edelgard had, it had degenerated into this. Really, it was even worse than usual because of the body swap, with both of them being much more on edge and their personal boundaries breaking down. He still hadn't asked Edelgard the really important question he was trying to build up to.

"Wait!", he yelled. "I'm sorry. Both for breaking the rules and for... This happening... Though for what it's worth, I did win that duel. There really was something important I came here to ask you, Edelgard, if you'll allow me to."

She groaned again. "Please, make it quick."

"It might not be a quick question", he said. She crossed her arms and frowned. "Your hair color... These scars... What happened to you, Edelgard?".

"What do you mean by that?", she asked back. "And what about my hair color?".

"It's very unique... Forgive me for asking this, but was your hair always the color it is today?". She put her hand to her chin. "That's an odd question. Why would you ask? Though if you really must know, it was not. It was a different color when I was a child. And you still didn't answer my first question."

"Yes, I'm sorry. It's just... I feel I deserve an answer. We...". He stopped himself. Once again he had phrased something poorly.

"Oh, you feel you deserve an answer. For what reason? Because we're passing acquaintances, or because you're the heir to a neighboring kingdom, one that may even face Adrestia in war some day?".

"I--... No. You're right", he answered. It was clear this was going to go nowhere and had been just as bad an idea as he would have thought. In the end, they had just grown too far apart to connect. "I was being thoughtless, and I shouldn't have put it that way... Though I wish you wouldn't say things like that; I can think of few possibilities worse than having to go war against you. Forgive me, El."

"Wait", he heard Edelgard say as he turned to go. She sounded mystified, her tone of voice now much less harsh. "You called me El...".

It dawned on him what he'd said. Of all the slip-ups he could have made, to call her by her old nickname was one of the more awkward. "Sorry, pay it no mind. I made a mistake."

She shook her head. "No... We... Did we know each other?". He hesitated. "Please, answer me, Dimitri."

Dimitri thought for a moment and unclipped the sheathed dagger from the belt he wore, holding it out in front of him. "Yes, we did... I gave you this when last we parted, if you remember."

There was a look of realization on her face.  
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It all came back to her in an instant when she heard Dimitri call her 'El' and show her the dagger he had given her the day she left Fhirdiad.

All at once everything neatly fit into place. How he had acted when they met on the road to the monastery, the oddly familiar way he wrote about her in his diary, Sylvain's comment about the dagger, even Ingrid's recollection of a girl she remembered sparring with Dimitri – she was impressed she had somehow remembered that much about her fighting style from that long ago, and surprised at how similar the way she fought apparently was to back then.

"You were... I remember now". She drew the blade and looked it over, before sheathing it again and handing it back to Dimitri, who clipped it again on his belt.

"I still regret I didn't have the time to give you a proper parting gift", he said, sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

She shook her head. "There's no need... At the time, I was confused why you would give me a dagger of all things. But what you said to me that day, about cutting a path to the future I wished for... I eventually understood it, and I always carried with me. I was never able to properly answer you back then, so... Thank you, Dimitri. It was because of you I was able to keep going through everything that's happened."

"I see", he said. "I'm glad that it meant so much to you. Though...". Right. He had approached her wanting to know what that 'everything' was.

"As for what happened...", she started. "The Edelgard you knew then is gone. I'll say that much. Beyond that...".

His expression turned more somber. "I feared as much... Otherwise I might have approached you sooner", he said. "I understand if it's difficult to talk about. But if you ever need someone to listen, I'll be there to."

Edelgard nodded. "Thank you. I do appreciate it. Though don't think I'm not still upset with how you violated what personal boundaries we still had left". She smiled a little and he blushed. "...Yes. Right. I'll really try to do better."  
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Once again, Edelgard found herself in the Goddess Tower late at night. This time though, she had come here alone, trying to clear her head after being unable to sleep.

It had been two days now since she met Dimitri here. They were both busy with classes and hadn't had much chance to talk since then, but there had been a definite change in how they interacted on the few occasions they did. They were almost able to get along now. Imagine that.

"Fancy seeing you here."

She turned to see Dimitri. "I couldn't sleep."

"Same as me, then", he said. "What brings you here, though?".

"Do I need a reason? Like you said the other day, it's quiet here at night. And...". She paused. "I was thinking about my mother and father. They first met here when my mother was a student."

"I never heard that story", he replied. "Patricia didn't talk much about that time... Sorry, I hope you don't mind me calling her by that name."

"No, it's fine". It had momentarily slipped her mind that Dimitri had known Anselma too. "What about you? What brought you here?".

"I came because it's quiet too, I suppose", Dimitri said. "Or maybe I thought you might be here somehow. I don't know". They stood in silence for a little while, listening to the gentle winds outside, blowing through the leaves of the tree that stood behind the tower.

"If you don't mind me asking--", Dimitri spoke up. "--What is keeping you up?".

"I could ask the same thing of you, couldn't I?".

"No, you're quite right... For me it's the voices. This happens most every night, to be honest."

"I see", Edelgard said. "I suppose it's not so different for me, then". She wasn't sure it was wise to tell Dimitri about her childhood after leaving Fhirdiad. It wasn't something she had ever talked about with anyone, and if Hubert were here she knew he would be advising her very strongly not to. Even if he was her dear friend from all those years ago, he was still the future King of Faerghus, and still a believer in the Goddess and the Church, as far as she knew. Still someone who might one day stand between her and the new world she strove to create. Even so.

"Promise me you will never tell anyone about this, Dimitri". He seemed taken aback.

"...Yes. I promise."

"In truth, I had a nightmare", she said. "I have them often. In them, I see my siblings... I recall you wrote in your diary you wondered how I became the heir". He nodded silently. "In my nightmares, I see them dying slowly. I can hear them crying out for help or screaming in pain as their flesh is cut in to or strange blood is poured into their veins. All of us were there, beneath the palace, caged like animals, our father powerless to save us. They performed their experiments on me too; the scars I bear are a testament to that. All to create an emperor with the power to rule all of Fódlan."

"And in the end, I was the only one who survived", she continued. " _That_ is the reason why I'm the heir to the throne."

She felt Dimitri wrap his arms around her.

"El...". As she looked down, she saw tears streaming down his face.

"...It's strange seeing myself cry. That part of me is something that died a long time ago."

He loosened his embrace, pulling slightly away from her, and they were left both in a deep gaze at the other, their eyes transfixed. For a second she thought he inched closer again, before he broke off the hug and stepped away from her.

"Whatever I can do to help you, El, I will", Dimitri said. A moment before she had seen sadness in his eyes, then a sort of longing, but now it was replaced with a white, hot rage that she had never seen from him before, though one that she had seen the hints of in the darkest corners of his diary entries. It was almost frightening. "I promise. The people who did such a thing... I'll help you grind them into dust."

"...If only it were that simple", she sighed.

"The people who did this to me are powerful within the Empire. Within the Imperial cabinet itself, even. I long for the day when they no longer have the power to commit such atrocities, but if I were to act against them too soon, well... I'd end up a powerless figurehead just like my father did. I've made my peace with that. As Emperor I have to be willing to ignore my own feelings. To make decisions about war and peace, to commit acts I may find morally questionable, or to sacrifice lives, even my own life, for the sake of a greater good."

Edelgard paused before going on. "There are still things I can't tell you. Things I don't expect you to forgive me for. But... No matter what happens between us, that we were able to meet again is something I'll cherish just as much as I cherished what you said to me when last we parted."

"El...", Dimitri said. He seemed to have calmed down some listening to her. "It's true that there are things that can't be forgiven. And for me, even one life seems like a steep price, no matter for what cause. I can't know what you speak of that you feel you must hide, but I promise you this on my honor... If nothing else, I will hear you out, whenever you decide you can tell me. If you reach out a hand for me, I want to be able to reach out mine in return."

"I see... Thank you, Dimitri."

She couldn't even remember the last time she cried, but she felt just a little teary-eyed herself tonight too. She began to leave. "It's getting late. Goodnight."

"Umm...", Dimitri started, blushing. "Actually there's... There's one other thing that's been on my mind, if you'll permit me. Though perhaps now isn't the time."

"Oh?", Edelgard asked. "Go ahead."

"Yes... Perhaps it's a bit out of the blue, but... Do you remember the time when we were children that, um, we almost kissed? It was a few days before you returned to Enbarr if I recall correctly."

"Hmm...", she thought back to that time, blushing a little herself. "I barely remember it. I take it you recall better?".

"I suppose", he said. "It was late one afternoon, after we had spent the day playing together. We must have seen a couple kissing each other, and you suddenly asked me to kiss you. I offered to kiss the back of your hand or your cheek, but you insisted I kiss you on the lips because you wanted to know how it felt... We did try, but in the end we were both too embarrassed."

"Yes, I do remember that now that you describe it", she said. "But why do you mention it?".

"Err... Umm...", he swallowed hard. "Well... If you wanted to, I... I always regretted that we didn't, so."

"Dimitri...", she said, trying to process what he was asking her. He was right that it was out of the blue, she was sure of that much; if she wasn't careful she might lose her composure. She was surprised that he would bring it up knowing their relationship, and had to wonder how he felt about that. "I don't have to tell you that by law the two of us are siblings."

"...I admit, it does bother me somewhat", he said. "Though even after learning the truth that you were Pat-- ...Anselma's daughter, I never quite came to see you as a sister and not just a dear friend. I apologize. If you see it that way, I fully understand."

"It doesn't matter much to me", she said. "We weren't raised together and knew each other only as friends. I barely even knew my mother. Not to mention we have no relation by blood. I don't mean to sound callous but as far as I'm concerned, we are family on paper only. It's just that a kiss would be... It's not like I'm totally disinterested, but...".

"It's alright", he replied. "It was a silly request of me. It's been too long to truly rekindle the relationship we had back then. We've changed too much in the end, haven't we? And besides, tonight... It's probably not an appropriate time". He turned to go. He was really going to do his self-pitying act again. Even now he still got on her nerves sometimes. And besides that, there was a part of her that wanted that kiss.

"Dimitri". He turned around to listen to her. "Fine. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and kiss me."

"Are you sure? I--".

"Yes. I'm sure."

He stepped close to her and took a deep breath. "Ok, El."

With each of them in the other's body, Dimitri had to stand on tiptoes for their lips to reach, and she leaned in to help close the distance. Their faces were mere inches apart now, and she could feel the heat of his breath on hers. Then, he wrapped his arms around her to steady himself and pressed his lips against hers.

Or really it was hers against his, wasn't it? It was an odd feeling, kissing herself, but the warm, soft feeling of her lips made it more than pleasant and prompted her heart to flutter and skip a few beats. She closed her eyes and savored it. Disappointingly soon Dimitri pulled away, standing on his heels again and looking up at her, a blushing, dazed look on the face that, for now, was his and not hers.

"...Was it good?", he asked after a moment.

"How should I know, really?", Edelgard said. "It... It was my first time."

"Oh, it was my first kiss as well", Dimitri said. He looked a little dejected. "So I just wondered...".

"Well, but", she added. "I enjoyed it. What about you?".

"I did as well. I... I'd like to do it more."

"So would I", Edelgard said. She put her arms around Dimitri's waist, guiding him up to her face again, and planted another kiss on his lips. It was more intense this time, around, the touch on her lips feeling hotter. She pressed the tip of her tongue to Dimitri's lips and felt his breath, hot and panting, when he opened his mouth and let her tongue touch his. They were close enough that she could feel her own breasts pressed up against her chest.

They broke off their kiss again, panting for breath. This certainly wasn't how she had expected her evening to go.

"It really is late", she said. "We should pick this up another time. Maybe somewhere more private". Dimitri blushed again. "...I didn't mean like that, necessarily. It's just that this is still a public place. If we're going to do things like this it would be best not to be too overt about them."

"Oh, yes", he said. "You're right...". She stepped away and walked out of the tower, feeling the cool night breeze on her hot face as she walked back to the dorms.  
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Edelgard stood up as Dimitri slowly closed the door, taking great care to do it quietly, and then locked it. By the clock on the desk it was a little past midnight.

"Hello, El... It's a beautiful evening tonight."

She nodded. "Hello, Dimitri."

They'd had to think about the logistics of their meetings – they could truthfully be called trysts at this point – after the night before last at the Goddess Tower. It would definitely spark rumors if either of them were seen visiting the other's room alone, and Dedue and Hubert would certainly have their concerns about them meeting alone. Dedue, she would guess, would defer to Dimitri, but she knew Hubert well enough to know he would very much make it his business who she was meeting with if he thought they might be a liability to her.

It was fortunate that it wasn't unusual for both of them to still be up this late, well after most of the monastery had fallen asleep, and they had seemed to avoid any unwanted attention when Dimitri came to her – his – dormroom late last night. Even if here they had Sylvain next door, it was better than being between Hubert and that gossip-happy Leicester girl.

That visit had started out with nothing more than quiet conversation but, perhaps predictably after the night before, had ended with her straddling Dimitri on the bed with her tongue in his mouth. Tonight there was little question about what was going to happen.

It had surprised both of them how quickly the sexual tension between them had mounted. It was, in an odd way, both comforting and unnerving to her; a reminder that she was still, after all, human. That beneath the cold, logical mask of the emperor-to-be there was still a young woman with human desires and a weakness for her long-forgotten childhood friend.

She stepped over to Dimitri and he laid his hands on her shoulders, standing on tiptoes and placing a brief kiss on her lips, the slightest blush on his face as he pulled away and averted his eyes, his hands falling away. He seemed a bit surprised when she leaned down and returned the favor, still not having quite gotten her fill of the warmth between their lips by the time she pulled away.

"Oh, umm...", he started, averting his eyes again. "Since, you know... I spoke with Manuela earlier about a, umm... Contraceptive charm. I would have thought it might be quite expensive but it was less than I expected for her to prescribe it."

She blinked. Of all the things he could have done... If he had just gone to the market in town and bought condoms from some anonymous shopkeeper that would have been perfectly sensible, but to go to Manuela, someone she had admired since seeing her with the Mittelfrank Opera as a child, and to specifically request a charm; it was like Dimitri simply couldn't help but embarrass her.

"Really, you couldn't have just gotten condoms if you were going to do anything?", she said, annoyed. He looked even more embarrassed, turning his face away. "Oh, well... Somehow that slipped my mind, so I just...".

She sighed. This made the package she had purchased today after last night had almost gotten out of hand unnecessary. It was an interesting proposition, but still, doing it uncovered and letting it out inside _herself_ somehow made an already strange situation seem even stranger. Although in a way she supposed it could all just be thought of as masturbation anyway. "Are you ready to get started then?".

He nodded. "Yes. I'd like to, El."

Dimitri took a moment to slip off his gloves and shoes and again stood up to kiss her, the height difference between them made starker with the high heels gone. Their lips connected and she drank the feeling in, the heat on her lips, the taste of Dimitri's breath on her tongue, and the tip of his touching it as he opened his mouth and she cupped hers over it. They were still a bit clumsy, but this was something they had both begun to learn over the past two days.

Still locked in a deep kiss, she tentatively reached down, flipping up Dimitri's skirt and running two fingers along her slit through his bright red tights. She felt him shiver just a bit in response and let out a small sigh, muffled against her mouth, giving her license to keep going, stroking up and down and pressing the fabric into her lips. After spending a few moments teasing him like this, she slipped her hand under his tights and found her clit through his panties, circling it with her index finger and feeling the silk, already dampened from her touch, get wetter.

If there was one upside to these odd circumstances, it was that they knew how their own bodies reacted. Perhaps it would be less clumsy a first time than it otherwise would have been but for that. She knew her body well enough to know exactly how to get herself wet, and she was going to let Dimitri enjoy it.  
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Dimitri moaned into Edelgard's mouth, gasping for breath as they broke off their kiss and as he felt her fingers trace lines and make him soak her silk panties. Just like back then, she was the one taking the lead. It was a strange, uncomfortable feeling – a literal out-of-body experience – to be doing this, though offset by his joy and relief at being able to reconnect with Edelgard, something he had thought might never happen, even if it had taken such a surreal event.

And by how the touch of her fingers felt, sending shivers up him each time they brushed over the little nub above her slit – which, in being unable to name it, he realized how shamefully limited his knowledge of anatomy was – and drawing moans from his mouth.

"El...", he whispered. He moved his hands from her shoulders and reached down himself, feeling his erection through her pants and and rubbing it before starting to undo her belt. He loosened it, her pants falling around her ankles. Edelgard leaned in closer to kiss him again and he tilted his head up to let her, touching his cock through her underwear and starting to stroke it as she pressed her lips against his and slipped her tongue into his mouth.

Edelgard moved her hand again, creeping into his panties and pulling them and his stockings down around his knees. He shivered at feeling her touch directly, without the layer of silk between her fingertips and her pussy, and pushed his lap into her hand just to feel more of it. She ran her other hand through his hair as he unbuttoned her underwear, pulling his cock out and wrapping his fingers around it, feeling its heat in his hand as he started pumping it. He didn't mind her taking the lead, but he wanted to hear El moaning and panting at his touch like he was at hers.

He felt her push into his touch as well, both of them squeezing closer together, and heard her gasp for breath as she pulled her mouth away from his before quickly diving back in for more, the two of them furiously kissing, muffling their moans as they pleasured each other. He gasped himself as Edelgard at once broke off their kiss and slipped a finger inside him, bucking his hips into her hand.

They had been awkwardly inching backwards, and as she went to kiss him again they tumbled onto to the bed, Edelgard on top of him. They gazed into each other's eyes, Edelgard's finger still buried inside him and his hand still on his cock.

"Hmm... I think it's wet enough", she said after a moment, pulling her finger out and eliciting another sigh from his mouth. "You're fine if I keep on leading, Dimitri?".

"...Yes", he said. "It's always been like this between us, hasn't it?".

"I suppose you could say that", she replied, planting another kiss on his lips. She climbed off of him and started stripping off her remaining clothes, and he followed suit.  
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Edelgard pulled off her shirt and laid it down with the rest of her discarded clothes, leaving her completely nude as she watched Dimitri sit up on the side of the bed and slip off his stockings before reaching behind his back to fumble with his bra. She considered stepping in to undo it herself but he eventually managed to get it, freeing her breasts and leaving him naked as well.

Of all the ways she might have thought her first time would go, this never even would have registered. Still, even if she would rather it have been in her own body, she was glad that it would be with a dear friend and not, like one of the possibilities that had crossed her mind, in a political marriage with some old nobleman. Dimitri lay back in bed and she looked him over as she climbed over him. It was such a surreal feeling, seeing her own body like an outsider.

She happened to think back to when Dimitri had called her out to the Goddess Tower and blurted out that he found her beautiful. She had never, in all the time she had consciously thought about it, considered her body beautiful. The knives that had sliced into her had left it pockmarked with scars, and the physical trauma of being forced to bear two crests had stunted her growth and left her hair a ghostly white.

She wasn't sure why, then, seeing it like this felt different somehow. She noticed Dimitri blushing. Odd that he was embarrassed when the person looking at him as the this body's proper owner.

"It's different from looking at it an mirror", she said.

"...What?", he asked. "Oh... I was more thinking about... Well...".

"Oh, you mean...? ...I understand". She hadn't entirely gotten over the idea of having sex with her own body either. On that note she decided not to keep either of them waiting any longer. She guided Dimitri's cock to her slit, feeling it tense up slightly as she teased the entrance with his cockhead, getting it slick with her come. The warm, wet feeling on the tip was tantalizing and made her crave what came next.

"El...", Dimitri said, still blushing profusely but with a look on his face that told her exactly what he was having trouble saying. He wasn't the hardest person to read sometimes. "If you want to, I'm...".

"You're sure?". He nodded. "Yes. Really, El, it's fine."

She took a deep breath, feeling her heart pounding. She pushed forward, hearing Dimitri let out a gasp as the tip popped inside, and pressed his cock into her body until she'd sunk it in almost to its base. She moaned, feeling the heat around her. She hadn't been quite sure what to expect – it always felt snug when she just put her fingers inside – but it fit comfortably. Of course, she was feeling it from the opposite perspective now.

"How does it feel, Dimitri?", she asked. Again, she felt like she could see it in his eyes. "Should I start moving?".

"It's good... Please, El". She started slowly thrusting her hips, getting used to the feeling and hearing Dimitri softly panting with each stroke. She reached up and squeezed her breast, getting more moans out of Dimitri as she played with the nipple, and then leaned over him, lapping at it with her tongue and kissing it while speeding up her thrusts. Each time she reached the base it brought another moan from his mouth and sent another spark running up her spine.

"El... El...!", he moaned, whispering her name. Feeling this warmth wrapped around her as she bucked her hips, hearing Dimitri whimper from the pleasure – and her own moans – each time she did, was night and day compared to when she had tried playing with it herself earlier. Seeing the expression on his face made her wish she could feel it for herself, again longing to be back in her own body. She imagined he must have been thinking much the same thing, no matter how good it felt for him right now.  
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Sothis glided along behind Byleth as she walked down the corridor. Usually her... She wasn't quite sure what Byleth was to her. A friend in terms of their personal relationship, maybe. Perhaps a host? Whatever else she was, she was usually in bed before midnight.

"My, you are up quite late", she said. "And before you say it, I know you've finished your lesson plans."

"I was just fin--". Byleth stopped, turning around to frown at her. "They're finished because I stayed up to finish them."

"And now?", Sothis asked. "What brings you to the students' dormitory?".

"I wanted to check on Edelgard", she said. "She's usually up late". Sothis looked at what door they were standing at and frowned back. "You must realize what would happen if you approached her as she is now... Well, luckily I can check in on her for you. No need to embarrass yourself _and_ ruin our little plan."

She floated through the door and raised an eyebrow at the... Interesting scene she saw. "Oh my... You simply must know of this, Byleth."

"Know what?".

"It seems our plan has been a success at bringing Edelgard and Dimitri closer together. How to put it... They've become quite intimate. Perhaps it's time to allow them their own bodies back."

"...Could you elaborate?".

"You're really quite innocent for having grown up around a band of mercenaries", she teased. "They're having sex."

"...This isn't appropriate", Byleth sighed, walking away.

"And yet you were the one who insisted on coming here. Well, suit yourself". She watched a bit longer before feeling herself get jerked backwards, Byleth having reached the limits of the force that tethered them together. "Hey! ...Really now, Byleth?!".  
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Dimitri looked up at Edelgard, seeing her usual composure start to crack as she thrust inside of him, panting and moaning in time with her hips as she filled him up with his cock, a look of subtle ecstasy on her face. He felt himself bucking his own hips to push into her thrusts, feeling shivers through him each time. It was hard to think straight, but even so he found himself thinking it was an uncomfortable sensation on some level, despite the physical pleasure he felt.

Edelgard leaned in and pressed her lips against his, stifling his voice. He wrapped his arms around her as they kissed, sharing the taste of each other's lips and whimpering into each other's mouths, the sounds of their breath and pleasured voices and the wet squelching sounds of their bodies bucking and grinding against each other ringing in his ears.  
______________________________

Edelgard reached down, her hand touching Dimitri's lap, feeling herself thrusting inside. She felt her body tense up around her as her fingertip touched her clit and she started gently rubbing it, letting out another moan. She could feel Dimitri's hot breath on her face speed up, hearing him pant harder and seeing his expression twist in pleasure even more. He started crying her name again. It was a bit odd, after so long barely hearing it all, to hear her nickname whimpered so many times, over and over.

Dimitri's voice started getting louder, and she put her mouth over his again to muffle the sounds. She felt him tense up even more and squeeze down on her as he came, squirming underneath her. She was getting close herself now too, so tantalizingly close she felt like she might burst with each thrust and each contraction she felt around her.

Everything besides her frantically bucking hips seemed to slow down and all other thoughts left her mind, a wave of ecstasy washing over her. She pulled her lips away, hearing Dimitri softly panting, still letting out small, ragged moans each time she bottomed out inside him, the heat feeling almost unbearable now.

She closed her eyes and kept thrusting, slowing down and then finally stopping as she poured Dimitri's seed into herself. The wave crested and she opened her eyes again, still feeling it rippling through her body as she felt the last drops of come bubble out.  
______________________________

Dimitri felt Edelgard's touch reverberate through him as her fingertips again found her nub and stroked it. He panted on her face, hovering just inches above his, a strained expression on it, her mouth open and breathing ragged as well. The steady rhythym of her hips slapping against his was also beginning to grow rough and ragged, her thrusts faster and stronger even as they became more uneven.

He had been concerned about Edelgard being unable to keep a handle on his body's strength, something that even he struggled with at times, but she seemed to have enough discipline not to get too rough, even in her frenzied, desperate state.

The tension built up each time she plunged into him and each time her fingers grazed that spot in his lap, until something finally snapped inside him and all of it was released, slowly at first and then faster, making him feel light-headed. He barely even notifced how he was letting out his voice until she dove in and kissed him again to silence it. The buzzing, lightheaded feeling lingered on, and it was only then that he noticed she hadn't came yet, still desperately thrusting her hips even as he tried to catch his breath.

She stopped after one last stroke buried herself in him, and he gasped as he felt something hot and wet spill out inside Edelgard's pussy.  
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For a few moments neither of them moved, quietly catching their breath. The air around them was hot and the smell of sweat and come lingered on it.

Edelgard pulled out of Dimitri and sat on the bed, glancing away from him. The heat of the moment had gotten to her and, though it was far too late for that, she found herself feeling honestly a bit embarrassed.

"...Could you lay with me a while, El?", Dimitri asked, sitting up.

"You should probably go back to my room", she said. "There would be no end of trouble if we were both here in the morning... Unless you were interested in going again before you left."

He blushed and averted his eyes. "Well... It does feel silly to let you put in all the effort...".  
______________________________

"Ah, Dimitri", Edelgard said. Byleth had just wrapped up the Black Eagles' afternoon classes and she had been gathering up her things as the other students stuffed their own study materials into their bags and filed out of the classroom. She absent-mindedly flipped a stray strand of long, silver hair over her shoulder with the back of her hand. "What brings you here?".

Sothis hovered over the desk, unseen, and smirked a little as she eavesdropped on their conversation. She ignored Byleth staring at her from the lectern as she shuffled the papers for the day's meticulously-prepared lesson plan.

"No particular reason... Classes were over so I figured I would pay a visit. It's always good to keep relations between the houses friendly, after all."

"Fair enough", she replied. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment. Unfortunately I have to catch up on studying or I would stay and chat longer."

Sothis drifted across the room, settlng on another conversation to listen in on.

"Say, Dorothea", Linhardt said, yawning. "Sorry. You're friendly with Edelgard, right?". She slipped her note sheets into her bookbag and closed it. "I would say so, yes. Why do you ask, Lin?".

"Don't you think it's interesting how her and Dimitri are acting lately? They used to be at each other's throats, didn't they?".

"Hmm... I guess I have noticed that. Well, what do you think about it?".

"I'm really not sure", he said. "You think something happened?".

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write an Edelgard/Dimitri smutfic for a while now but never really thought of a compelling idea for it, particularly as I was toying with the idea of hatesex between them but couldn't think of what the setup would be. Bodyswapping seemed like it would work, and after thinking about the idea for like a month I was inspired to finally start writing (and drop the hatesex part) after I rewatched _Your Name_ , half because I was looking for inspiration and half because I really wanted to after _Weathering With You_ , then took about two more months to finish it. I also started watching through the rest of Shinkai's movies after that, and watching _The Garden of Words_ made me even more sure I wanted it to end on a fairly happy note instead of with the two of them hatefucking. I also ended up using a lyric from one of the songs from _Your Name_ as the title because I couldn't come up with anything else.
> 
> As usual I wasn't super satisfied with how it turned out, mainly because the second half in my opinion turned out fairly weak, rushed, and with a fair bit of mood whiplash for a few reasons (mainly because I felt like it was getting a little too long for a one-shot smutfic and I didn't have great ideas for how to wrap it up slower either), plus a couple of other little issues. In particular, I'm not sure I handled their stepsibling relationship well and I feel like I might have dismissed it too quickly, but it's hard to say how much Dimitri and Edelgard see each other as family in canon so I wasn't really sure how to handle it.
> 
> I did think the sex scene turned out well, maybe even the best I've written so far, but I'm also not sure how much Edelgard and Dimitri as characters shine through in it because I definitely focused more on what would be hot than exactly what they would do in this situation. I don't know that they're out of character per se, but while I've warmed up to Edelgard a lot as time went on, I still don't know how good a grasp I have on her character, or Dimitri's for that matter.
> 
> This somehow feels like kind of a weird shoutout to put in the notes for porn and I have no idea how the people in question would feel about it, but I do feel like I should thank some of the people I've seen do in-depth analysis of Edelgard's character, since it's been a big part of giving me a better understanding of and appreciation for her character, especially captainflash89 on the Fire Emblem sub on Reddit. I also happened to come across a post there recently that discussed her views on compassion and pity that definitely informed how I wrote her reacting to Dimitri's past, although I'm not sure how well I captured that either.
> 
> Adding to this to the notes a day late because I meant to mention it when I first put the fic up and didn't; I took some liberties with Dimitri's ageusia. The consensus in the fandom I think seems to be that he lost his sense of taste because of emotional trauma, but from most everything I could find that doesn't seem to be something that really happens in real life and ageusia is usually caused by neurological damage, which I figured (at least in as much as anything in a body-swapping story makes sense) would mean when they're switched Edelgard would be affected by it and Dimitri wouldn't. In hindsight though I probably should have continued that thread later, but it slipped my mind I guess.


End file.
